Piontovski in Ukraine

[Yves Finet]

Dear colleagues,

Following my message of today about the problem of Dr. Piontovski in
Ukraine, I have contacted one of the funding bodies, i.e. the INTAS itself
in Belgium. I quickly got the following response:

>From: "Alexandre Stroinovsky" <stroinovsky at intas.be>
>To: "Yves Finet" <yves.finet at mhn.ville-ge.ch>
>Subject: RE: [Fwd: a serious international problem ??]
>Date: Thu, 4 Nov 1999 14:10:05 +0100
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>
>Dear Sirs,
>
>We thank you for your message.
>
>We have published on the INTAS website on October 27th, a press release
>entitled  "International scientific collaboration endangered in the Ukraine"
>(www.intas.be) see "what's new".
>
>Best regards
>INTAS Helpdesk

For those who do not have easy access to web sites via the net, I have
copied this press release hereunder in the body of the present message.
Best regards to everybody.

Yves Finet.
_________________________________________


International scientific collaboration endangered in the Ukraine

     Brussels, 27 October 1999

INTAS is shocked about the detention of Prof. Piontovski by the Security
Services of the Ukraine. Prof. Piontovski is the principal investigator in
a joint research project of the INTAS-Ukraine Call 1995. Because of his
involvement in international research projects he is now accused of trying
to illegally arrange the outflow of experimental scientific material
abroad. Criminal proceedings are also based on the receipt of hard currency
grants paid to his private account in order to finance the project.

To date the promotion of international collaboration between NIS scientists
and research teams in the West has been considered a high priority by all
NIS governments, which have therefore granted favourable conditions to such
projects. Within international projects, and in all INTAS projects, NIS
scientists exchange information with their Western partners and receive
their grants directly from the Western organisations in hard currency. To
cover this practice INTAS has concluded bilateral agreements with each of
the NIS governments which award an additional tax exempt status to INTAS
grantees.

Additionally, Prof. Piontovski's project is jointly selected and funded by
INTAS and the Government of Ukraine in the Joint Call 1995. It is subject
to a co-operation agreement concluded by all parties, namely INTAS, the
Ukrainian Ministry of Science and the research teams involved. As regards
the scientific work all contractors' tasks are clearly outlined in the
project's workprogramme which has been subject to a thorough examination.
It is therefore difficult to understand how the activity could now be
considered against the Ukraine's national interest. At the end of each
contractual year all teams report to INTAS and the Ukrainian authorities
about the execution of the tasks. According to the project's periodic
report INTAS can confirm that the Ukrainian team has followed the
workprogramme exactly as scheduled.

Under the terms of the Joint Call and the project's agreement, INTAS pays
all project grants in hard currency directly from Brussels to all teams,
including the Ukrainian scientists. Finally, any single payment received by
Dr Piontovski was made with the full knowledge of the Ukrainian Ministry of
Science which was involved in the decisional process with respect to each
transfer.

Unless there are facts aside the project and unknown to INTAS, Prof.
Piontovski and all team members have fully complied with their obligations
within the framework of their contractual commitments towards INTAS and the
Ukrainian Government. Their activities under the joint project can only
benefit man's understanding of marine ecology without either harming
Ukraine's security interests or breaking the agreements entered into by the
Ukrainian Government and INTAS.

Upon learning of Prof. Piontovski's detention, INTAS immediately requested
the Ukrainian authorities, in particular its designated contact person,
First Deputy Minister of Science Dr B Grinyov, to investigate the
circumstances surrounding the detention and to remedy the situation. In
addition, the European Commission and its Delegation in Kiev as well as the
European Parliament's Committee on relations with the Ukraine have been
notified. INTAS is also in permanent contact with the project participants
themselves, including Mr Piontovski.

According to latest information it seems that other INTAS grant recipients
in Southern Ukraine have also been asked to report the Ukrainian Security
Services. Against this background and unless the current situation can be
resolved quickly INTAS' ability to develop its activities within the
Ukraine must be in danger.